September 2008

I seem to have missed out on the evolution/revolution of the Steampunk genre. Steampunk was coined as genre in the late 1980s blending a vision of the future and a revitalisation of Victoriana. What has blossomed from this is some gorgeous artistic expressions including jewellery that uses materials like Swiss watch parts, 1800s buttons and aviator wings. My favourite is the ultimate in a laptop cover: a fully adorned, hand-crafted wooden case with claw feet, encasing a HP laptop. http://www.datamancer.net/steampunklaptop/steampunklaptop.htm

I was recently looking for a gift for a friend and found this gorgeous resin & polished chrome bangle from Dinosaur Designs (AUD$369). http://www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au/archive/index.php?id=294&page=54&imageid=2073&pageno=1
I’ve long admired the three Aussies who are the designers behind Dinosaur Designs. My admiration increased for them when I read an article last week that they still hand make everything in Sydney and are a carbon neutral company. It’s great to see companies that are actually walking the talk when it comes to corporate social responsibility as well as producing locally.